Libraries

As my county library is part of The Libraries Consortium, I really don’t mind paying this charge as a contribution towards the logistics, (cost of vehicles, tax and insurance, fuel and driver wages) involved in moving books from one place to another, often long distances.

I regard it as a small price to pay to have access to over 6 million more items of stock beyond what is held in the county.

I was talking to staff at my village library on Saturday. They tell me that a lot of books are reserved but not collected so that waste has to be factored in.

I accept that council budgets are stretched, primarily to pay for adult social care, hence, for example, the introduction of charges for the collection of green waste.

I would also add that there had long been a charge in this county if you asked a member of staff to reserve an item rather than reserving online. One could argue that was a tax on people who did not have a computer or other digital device.

The new charges do not apply to children.

Our village library is run by volunteers, I have no issue paying, it’s a valued resource, books are supplied by County, as they were previously. I didn’t mind paying then either, too many libraries are closing.

I get charged £1 but weirdly my daughter and Granddaughter pay nothing 🤷🏼‍♀️ even though I’m late 70s and they are 50s 30s. My daughter laughingly said don’t you go and ask why we’re not being charged cos they might make us pay too.😂

I'm in Gloucestershire and don't get charged anything. I've currently got 9 books reserved!

I don’t mind mind paying.
Use or loose!

I am in Manchester and don't get charged for reserving books.
it is such a good service. I often am the first to read a book if I reserve it quickly enough.

No charge for that here. Hope it doesn't put people off.

I reserve books at a different library on a local bus route. They don’t charge for reservations there!

Libraries have to raise funds somehow. My local authority charges £1.40 for a reservation which I happily pay for the service. A lot of work goes into reserving a book, especially if it’s not found straight away.

It does Treebee.

I’m currently reading a novel which I reserved via the Libraries Consortium. It was delivered to my village library from another county library 65 miles away - so it will do a 130 mile round trip with all the ancillary costs just to satisfy my desire to read it.

Had I taken a train to go and collect it it would have cost me £26 on a Senior Railcard.

Had I bought it new it would have cost £9.99 plus P&P or less from second-hand dealer still plus P&P usually around £2.25.

Apart from a few old favourites, I’ll only read a novel once so it makes sense to borrow even if it will now cost £1.15 for the reservation and delivery service.

Library branches should rotate their stock on a regular basis with a selection of newly-published books and older works. If people are not seeing a section of their reading preference on the shelves, then rather than complaining about reservation charges it would make more sense to let staff know what you would like to see more of.

I like to read newly-published fiction and asked that we get more of it in our small village library. Now we do.

My library doesn’t charge to reserve books.

I am about to start the latest Anthony Horovitch one, brand spanking new.

My local library offers a great service, lovely helpful staff, I go in at least once a week.

Reading what others say, I know I’m fortunate to have this great facility.

Charging for reservations is only a very recent introduction here.

As councils find their budgets stretched more and more, I suspect it will become more commonplace.

A lovely feeling to be the first to borrow a newly-stocked library book.

I think it's either .70p or .75p to reserve a book where I live. Very happy to pay, I love both my libraries. A smaller one in my village and a larger one in town a couple of miles away. Libraries provide a wonderful service and I feel fortunate to have two that are so easily accessible.